Backwards
by The Gospel of Eleanor Rigby
Summary: They were inseparable, the five of them. And then something unknown tears them apart, and suddenly three of her best friends are like strangers to her. Lucy just wishes one of them would talk to her, or even look at her. And then suddenly, one of them does... EmbryxOC
1. Prologue

**A/N: Yes, I'm starting a new story and no, it is not any of the ones I had posted on my profile. Why? Because this idea came to me and I just ran with it. So yay! Hopefully you like it because it's full of Embry, Embry and more Embry. And who doesn't love him?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or else it would be about the wolves.**

As far back as I could remember, it had been the five of us and we were inseparable.

There was Jake who always had a smile on his face, and was the person who everyone went to if they needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to give advice. Quil, our resident jokester who was always able to make us laugh, only because it was hilarious to watch him get shot down by senior girls and get into trouble with their boyfriends.

Embry was the quiet one. He didn't always say much, but our group still wouldn't have been complete without him. Jessica was my best friend, who was just as equally quiet as Embry, except when she was around us. I guess that's why they got along so well. They were _that_ couple, the one that everyone knew about because they had been together since the sixth grade.

And then there was me. I don't really know how to describe myself, all I know is that without my group of friends, I wouldn't be complete.

And that's how it used to be for all of us. One of us would look so out of place without the other four surrounding us.

Until Embry disappeared, that is. Even though he lived two houses down, he was nowhere to be found. Even his own mother was beside herself with worry, because she hadn't seen him either. And then all of a sudden, he was back.

But at the same time, he wasn't. He was different. Bigger, taller and he was hanging around with Jared and that jerk Paul, instead of us. He was still quiet, but it wasn't his usual silence. It was an angry silence.

And he refused to look at any of us.

It was bearable, until Jake went next. And then Quil. And it was the same thing. Neither of them would look nor talk to Jessica or I. After a while, it became strange to see one of them without Jared or Paul around, like they were incomplete without them.

So the only thing I could do was look from afar and wonder when things had gotten so backwards.


	2. Chapter One

**A/N: This chapter is mainly showing the relationship between my characters. Obviously this isn't going to follow the storyline to a T, because Embry doesn't imprint in the books. But other than that, it'll be fairly straightforward. **

Every morning, it takes me five minutes after my alarm has gone off to get out of bed and start getting ready for school. It's been like that since the fifth grade. At this time, I'm walking out of my bedroom at the same time as my older sister, and I'm forced to run into the bathroom before her. Thankfully, she's slow.

By the time I get of the shower and brush my teeth, I have about ten minutes to get ready before I have to start walking if I'm going to be on time. So I run back into my room as my sister curses me to hell for making her late, like I have every day since I started high school and throw on the first things I can get my hands on. Today, that means a pair of jeans, a tank top and a red pullover sweatshirt.

I brush out my super long, black hair so that it will dry straight and throw on some makeup to try and at least make myself presentable and run downstairs.

By this time, my mother is downstairs attempting to feed my baby brother his mushy breakfast, which is basically all over her and the kitchen and none in his mouth, so I grab a granola bar from the kitchen and dash out the door at the same time as her boyfriend Dan. He asks me if I want a ride, like every morning and I decline as usual and run the ten steps to Embry's house.

He's out the door as usual, before I can even knock. He makes eye contact with me, smiles but says nothing as we start to walk.

He looks straight ahead but occasionally turns to make sure I'm keeping up and then smiles at me. This is completely normal.

We make it to the school with about three minutes to spare and we part ways without a word. I run to my classroom and slide into my seat just as the bell rings. The seat next to me is empty, but I don't sit alone. It's just that Quil is always late. And I mean always.

He walks in five minutes after class has already started, just like clockwork. He's loud, because he's so burly, and he clunks his way into his seat. "Hey there, Lucy-Goosey!" He exclaims and I resist rolling my eyes and commenting because the teacher is already glaring at us.

I settled for ignoring him and cracking my textbook open, turning to page 394. It was a short story. "I want you to read this story and then work with the person next to you and analyze it. After that, answer the ten questions on the next page and hand them in at the beginning of class tomorrow." The teacher announced.

I bit my lip as Quil turned to me. I hated working with Quil, he was lazy and he was such a huge distraction. "So… You want to read it and tell me what it's about?" He asked and at my glare he put his hands up. "Relax, Lucy. I'm just kidding."

"You better be." I muttered, turning away from him so I could read. After we were both done, we looked at each other. "So, what did you think of the theme of the story?" I asked him.

He looked at me, blinking his eyes slowly. "Um… What did you think?"

I sighed. This was going to be a long class.

"Remind me why I thought it was a good idea to sit with Quil in English?" I muttered to Jessica in the hallway after a grueling class of forcing answers of out Quil's tiny brain.

She giggled at me. "Because you never had Quil in any of your classes before. And the rest of us thought it'd be funnier not to warn you."

"Well thanks." I grumbled, spotting Embry in the hallway.

Jessica's face lit up. "I'll see you at lunch." She said, making her way towards him. They stopped just in reach, looked into each other's eyes for a second and then kissed.

The green monster in my stomach started to bubble up again and I told it that it needed to stay put. The small crush that I had on Embry last year was long gone. Long, long, gone. I swear.

I forced myself to look away and I pushed my way to my next class. As I rounded the corner, I bumped into someone. I nearly fell flat on my face, but giant hands caught me by the waist and set me right on my feet. Warm, giant hands attached to huge biceps…

Immediately, I pulled myself away from their grasp and picked up my bag with as much dignity as I could. Refusing to make eye contact, I started to walk but a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Lucy, can I please talk to you?" The voice begged. A voice that I didn't want to hear.

"No, Paul, we cannot." I muttered, yanking away.

"Look, I know you're mad at me…"

I laughed. "Yeah and I'm not the only one."

"Come on, Luce." He begged, touching my shoulder. "Just let me talk to you, I miss you. We used to have so much fun together, remember? Wrestling when we were kids and playing pranks on each other…"

"Yeah, well they're just memories now." I snapped. "You're not my brother. Not anymore." My eyes watered and I tried to force the tears down but he still saw them. His eyes softened and he tried to speak, but someone called his name from down the hall. "You better go. I think your friend is having separation anxiety."

I finally, finally was able to walk away without him following me. Good, jerk.

* * *

By lunch, I was exhausted. Between trying to pay attention in class and dodging Paul every time I took a step, I had no energy. So when I was the first one at our lunch table, I put my head down and closed my eyes.

It was really peaceful, even with the excited chatter of the kids around me in the cafeteria. My body got all warm and fuzzy and I snuggled up into my folded arms, hoping to just sleep through lunch.

And then someone put an ice cube down the back of my sweater.

It didn't really register at first. It was just a wet sensation sliding down my back. And then I realized how cold it was and I jumped out of my seat, screaming and flailing until it fell out of the bottom. "Holy shit!" I yelled, shaking back and forth. I glared at Quil, who was doubled over in laughter and kicked him hard in the shin. "That was not funny!"

"I beg to differ." He chuckled, sitting down and rubbing his shin. "You kick like a beast, by the way. Why are you not on the soccer team?"

I shrugged. "Because that means having to interact with people other than you guys. And besides, I'm already falling behind in my classes. I don't think an extracurricular activity would really help."

"Quil, don't you remember the time that she tried to join the softball team in freshman year?" Jake butted in, snickering. "She struck out twice and on her third attempt, the bat flew out of her hand and knocked the coach out cold for over an hour."

I shoved him. "Shut up! Besides, that's baseball, not soccer."

"And the time that you knocked_ yourself_ out trying to run after the football at the beach last summer? I remember Paul had to…" Jake trailed off and I looked at my feet. "Have you talked to him at all lately?"

"I ran into him a few times today, but I ran off before he could say anything." I said softly, tugging at my sleeves. I was just thankful that he wasn't in my lunch period. "I'm not really interested in what he has to say anymore."

Jake wrapped his arm around the back of my chair and dragged me over towards him so that I could snuggle into his chest. "Who cares about that prick anyway? Everything he says is probably scripted by Sam Uley now."

I sighed. "Yeah, stupid Sam. I liked him better when he was with Leah Clearwater."

Jake nodded in agreement and just squeezed my shoulders in comfort. Quil, seemingly deep in thought, finally spoke. "Leah is hot."

I groaned and threw my unopened pudding cup at him. Jake just said, "Dude…"

Quil furrowed his brows. "What?" We both just shook our heads.

I stood up and grabbed my bag. "I have to go. I promised Mary from chem that I would come early and help her finish up the equations that are due during class." I kissed them both on the cheek, because that's what we do, and took off. The hallways were empty, because everyone was either in class or in the cafeteria, but I spotted Jessica standing outside of the nurse's office and went up to her. "Hey! Where were you and Embry at lunch?"

She frowned worriedly. "I think Embry is really sick. He was feeling off this morning and then last period he started getting really hot and there was sweat dripping off of his forehead and he just looked awful, so I brought him here."

Just then, the door swung open and Embry stepped out, looking worse for wear with a disapproving nurse standing behind him. He shut the door behind him, efficiently cutting her off. "I need to get out of here." He said, and his voice was scratchy and raw.

"What did she say?" Jessica murmured.

He shrugged. "I have a fever of one o' five, I think. She wants me to go to the hospital."

"One o' _five!?_" I exclaimed, pushing up his matted hair and putting a hand on his sweaty forehead. "Embry, you are on fire. Like I could fry an egg on your head! Why won't you go to the hospital?"

He coughed a little bit and then groaned. "I don't know. But, I think I'm getting worse. Maybe I should."

"How is he going to get there?" Jessica asked softly. "None of us can even drive, let alone have a car."

I pursed my lips for a second. "I know!" I exclaimed. "My mom is off work until my brother grows up. I'll call her and she can drive you. I'm sure she won't mind."

He nodded and slumped against the wall. I caught Jessica's eye and she frowned. "I can't skip…" She whispered regretfully. "You guys know how my dad is…"

I put my hand on her arm. "It's okay, Jess. I'll go with him, and I'll call you when I know what's going on. Don't risk it." I comforted. "Go ahead and get to class."

I hugged her, and she kissed Embry once on the cheek before she left. He groaned once again and I pulled out my cell phone and started dialing. "Even my eyelashes hurt." He complained.

"Don't worry. We're going to get you help."

Just as I was about to press dial, someone clamped a hand over my wrist. I looked up into the eyes of Paul. "Luce, put the phone down."

"Don't call me that." Was the first thing that came out of my mouth. "And I can do what I want." The phone disappeared from my hand and his friend Jared was standing next to me and pressing end. "What the hell? Can't you see how sick he is?"

Jared crouched down next to him and touched his arm. "He feels warm to me." He spoke and Paul nodded with my arm still in his grasp. "Lucy, you should get to class. We'll take good care of him."

I scoffed, trying to pull my arm out of Paul's iron cast grip. "Over my dead body! Why would I ever leave him with you?"

"Lucy, please trust me." Paul whispered into my ear.

"Shut up, Paul. Don't tell me to trust you when you left me."

He snapped his teeth together and I could feel his arm quiver. "Let it go, Paul." His friend spoke and then he got to his feet, pulling Embry up with him and basically supporting his whole frame, because Embry looked like a shaking puddle of oatmeal. "Get her out of here. I'm going to bring him with me."

"I don't want to go with you." Embry grounded out between shut lips.

"I'm going to get you help, Embry. My mom's a nurse." Jared said, dragging him down the hall.

I watched them disappear angrily. "What the hell?" I asked, swirling around to face my captor. "Embry is _my_ friend, not yours! I want to go with him!"

"Just go to class, Lucille." He spat, pushing me away and storming out the door. I crossed my arms angrily for a minute, before I ran out the door and followed him. But when I stepped outside, he was nowhere to be found. Not even a trace of him left.

And then I was seriously worried about Embry. What were they going to do to him?

* * *

I didn't catch up with the rest of my friends until the end of the day. Jessica ran up to me and my locker and grabbed my arm. "Is he okay?" She asked. "Is he at home now?"

I bit my lip and looked at her. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Didn't you go with him?"

"Paul and Jared took him." I mumbled. "I tried to stop them but they're just so damn strong! They said that they were going to get help though, because Jared's mom is a nurse…"

Jessica's eyes stared at me, horrified. "Jared's mom isn't a nurse… She works at the library."

A bubble of panic built up in my stomach. "Well it's okay. We can just talk to Embry tomorrow and see if he's okay. Everything will be fine." I tried to reassure the both of us, but I was lying. Does this mean they were taking him to Sam Uley? Were they going to kill him as part of some freaky initiation or ritual? Maybe he was their cult's sacrifice to God.

"Everything will be fine." I told her again.

When I got home, I started on my homework immediately so that I wouldn't let my thoughts catch up with me. Even so, I couldn't help worrying about him. I even thought about it through dinner, just pushing around my food instead of really eating it.

When it was acceptable to be done, I called Jessica to see if she had heard from him. She said that she had been calling his house all evening, and no one had picked up. Her news settled my decision, and I put on my shoes and walked over to his house.

It didn't take long for someone to answer, but it definitely wasn't Embry or Ms. Call. "May I help you?" The man asked politely. He was extremely tall, tanned and had cropped black hair. He was Paul and Jared's clone.

"Sam Uley?" I blurted out before I could catch myself.

He gave me a wry smile. "You must be Paul's sister, Lucille?"

"It's Lucy. And I'm not Paul's sister." I said bitterly.

Another smile. "Right, my mistake. What can I do for you, Lucy?"

"Well, I'm obviously not looking for you, since I knocked on _Embry's_ door. Is he here?" I immediately cursed my temper as soon as I had spoken.

His polite façade fell. "No. I'm sorry, you'll have to come back another time."

"Can you tell me where he is? He was really sick and I'm worried about him."

He shook his head. "I'm not sure where he is, Lucy. I'm sorry. I'm just here to help out Ms. Call with something. But I do hope you find him. Goodbye." And then he shut the door on me.

I sat there, staring incredulously at the door for a minute before I turned on my heel and stomped away. When I got home, I slammed the front door and stomped all the way up to my room. Who the hell did Sam Uley think he was?

I tried not to let it get to me, telling myself that I would just talk to him in the morning and find out what the hell happened to him.

* * *

I woke up to my usual routine. Sleep in, shower, eat something quick and refuse a ride, run to Embry's. But when I got to the sidewalk outside of his door, no one came rushing out. I waited for a few minutes before I started to get worried, and then I knocked on the door.

Ms. Call answered this time, and she looked terrible. "Hi Tiffany." I said, remembering that she hated when I called her Ms. Call. "Is Embry running behind today?"

Tears swelled in her eyes. "You mean you haven't seen him either?"

"What…? What do you mean?" I asked worriedly.

She sniffed. "He never came home yesterday. I got home from my shift and he wasn't here. I waited up all night and still he never came home."

"Was that why Sam Uley was here?" I asked her. "Helping you look for Embry?"

She furrowed her brows. "Honey, Sam was never here."

"Yes he was. I came over last night to see if Embry was home, and he answered the door."

"I think you might have knocked on the wrong door." She said, trying to not look at me like I was insane.

I put on a poker face. "You're right, I'm sorry. It had been a long night. Well, I need to go to school. I will let you know if I see Embry."

"The first person you should check with is Jessica." She said, and then smiled a little bit. "We all know how inseparable those two are."

I nodded at her, even though I knew Jessica hadn't seen him either, and then said goodbye. When I got to school, I didn't even care that I was late because I had no intention of going to first period. Instead, I made my way to the class that I knew Paul had and peered inside. His desk was empty.

I waited where I knew he and Jared both had lockers at break. Neither of them showed up. At lunch, Embry didn't show up. After school, I waited outside but not a single one of them passed through the doors to go home.

Little did I know, I wouldn't see any of them for a week.

**A/N: If you guys haven't realized from this chapter, or my other stories, I definitely have an obsession with splitting my chapter up with lines.**


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N: The reason why this took so long is because I'm officially a university student at the University of Guelph! I had Frosh week and then classes and homework, so I really only had time to write this today. So my updates are probably going to be about one per week and hopefully next weekend I can start back up on Butterflies also, so I can get that finished. Hope everyone is good!**

The school days passed slowly, each day spent with the four of us on the lookout for Embry. I even hid upstairs in my room after school and spied out of my window, which faced the road, to see if I could catch him walking towards his house.

But I didn't catch a single glimpse of him.

By Friday, I was annoyed. Not only had I not seen Embry, neither Paul nor Jared was in school for me to harass. It was getting hard, and it was taking a toll on Jake and Quil. But Jessica was feeling it the most, and I could tell she was trying to hide it. "So are you coming to my place?" She asked with a false cheeriness in her voice. "I've got a bunch of sappy love movies that I know you like."

I made a face and sighed. "I can't. I'm babysitting tonight. Mom and Dan want to have a _night out_." Her face dropped and my heart clenched painfully. It was her first weekend alone since Embry had disappeared. "Why don't you come over to my place?"

"No thanks." She mumbled. "I was there last time you babysat, remember?"

"Yeah but he's not that bad anymore. He doesn't cry all the time, he just cries half of the time." I countered and she raised her eyebrows at me. "Fine, sit at home by yourself and be a loser."

She just shook her head and attempted a half smile. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

I hugged her, trying not to be to pitying. "Of course, it's movie night." I said somewhat cheerfully. "Jake and Quil want to see some lame comedy, but I guess we can't really say anything because it's their turn to pick."

"Yeah," She mumbled, before giving a small wave and taking off. I watched her go for a minute, my stomach clenching in anger at whoever was responsible for Embry's disappearance before turning on my heel and walking home alone. When I got to Embry's house, I slowed down a little bit, staring into the window of the room that was their living room.

When I saw nothing, I sighed in defeat and kept walking. I got into the house and slammed the door shut, throwing off my shoes and collapsing on the couch. My mom smiled at me and brought me a glass of milk and a peanut butter sandwich.

Despite my anger, I grinned at her. This was my Friday after school snack, ever since I was 5 and I saw Paul eating a whole jar of peanut butter with just a spoon. I begged my mom to let me do it too, but she came up with a compromise and made me a peanut butter sandwich instead.

The memory hurt, just a little bit, and I turned on the television to distract myself.

But not even an hour later, my cell phone rang, which I thought was weird because I never got phone calls from anyone. It was Jessica, and in a panic I picked it up. "What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, skipping over a greeting.

She was absolutely blubbering and I could barely understand anything she said, except for "come over."

"I'll be right there." I promised, and turned to my mom who was sitting in the kitchen, reading a book. "Mom, I can't babysit tonight. There's an emergency and Jess really needs me."

She frowned for a minute with creases on her forehead. "Fine, but you owe me."

"Thanks, course, love you." I shouted, slamming the door behind me.

In the cold chill of early February, I was shivering beneath my sweater and heavy coat. The rain usually washed away the snow, but the nip of the wind was enough to freeze your toes into ice. So when I saw someone walking out of the forest without a shirt, I have to admit I was momentarily shocked still. I didn't know there were any mental hospitals around here.

_Wait just a minute! Is that Sam Uley!?_

He turned at that exact moment and caught my eye for a brief second, before turning away immediately. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should run after him but I decided that Jessica was more important and I would deal with Sam Uley later.

I didn't even bother to knock because no one was home. I just threw the door open and ran straight up into her room where I could hear her crying, though muffled. She jerked up when I came in, biting her lip for a minute before she burst into more tears. I grabbed her hands. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I s-saw Embry." She blubbered, wiping snot off of her face.

My eyes bulged. "Oh no, what happened to him? Is he okay?"

"He broke up with me!" She cried.

I couldn't believe my own ears. "But… You guys have been together for like, five years." I said, dumbstruck and she just nodded, her tears slowing down. "He just ended it? Just like that?"

"Not exactly." She whispered with a hoarse voice. "He came up to the door and I answered, expecting it to be you but it was him and my God, Lucy…" She trailed off. "He's not even Embry anymore. He's tall, _buff_ and he just looks so angry."

_Tall, buff, angry…_ "What exactly did he say?"

"First, I asked him what he was doing here and he didn't say anything. He just grasped my chin and tipped my head up to look at him and his hand was so big and grabbing me too hard and it felt like he was literally on fire. So I asked him if he had a fever and he didn't say anything and he just kept staring into my eyes for a good two minutes." She took a breath and wiped the access water off of her cheeks. "Eventually he dropped my face and he looked so defeated and I asked him why he was here and then he said he had come to break up with me."

I bit my lip, trying not to look too pitying. "Did he say why?" I asked softly.

"He said it just wasn't meant to be and that in the end, I was only going to get hurt. He said he was sorry, and that it was the best thing for us right now."

"_Paul, you can't move out. You haven't even graduated from high school yet." My mom tried rationalizing. I was just staring at the table, absolutely dumbstruck. Veronica reached over and held my hand. For a moment, it was comforting._

_He spoke very calmly, something that I wasn't used to, especially since he had started hanging around with Sam whatshisname. "Mom, I know you don't understand but this is the best thing for our family right now."_

"_What about your sister?" She murmured in a low voice, like she didn't want me to hear even though I was sitting right across from her. "Do you have any idea what that's going to do to her? You know that you've been her rock."_

_I flinched as he looked at me, unable to stop the horrible feeling in my gut. "I'm sorry. But if I stay, in the end someone is only going to get hurt. I have to go." He stood up fleetingly and walked to the door. _

_As he opened it, I whispered to myself, "You're already hurting me." I thought it was too quiet for anyone to hear, but he turned to me with his eyes full of pain._

_He spoke before he left, shutting the door behind him. "It's for the best."_

I gasped to myself. "They got to him." I said. "Sam got to him, just like he got to Paul and Jared."

She looked like she didn't want to believe me, but she put a hand on my arm. "How do you know?"

"It just all fits." I murmured. "The disappearance, the transformation, the temperature. Sam Uley dragged Embry into his little cult. We have to do something."

She shook her head. "There's nothing we can do."

I stared at her in shock. "What do you mean, we have to do _something!"_

"No, it's no use. I saw it in his eyes, Lucy. He's gone. Embry's gone."

* * *

My life changed, even if it was just a little, after that weekend. Going back to school was nerve wracking, considering that Embry was back from his disappearance and we knew that he was going to be there. On Monday, I accepted a ride from Dan much to his and my mother's surprise. I think they both thought it was one step forward to me accepting him into my family.

It's not like I didn't like him. I'm just indifferent to his presence.

I didn't talk to him, though, only to ask if we could pick up Jessica on the way there. I knew it would be hard for her to be alone if she ran into Embry. When we pulled up to the building, we both stepped out warily and looked around. There was no sight of him before the bell rang, so we both slowly made our way to class. I sat down at the empty pair of desks that I sat at, and waited for Quil to walk in late.

Like clockwork. Some things never change.

At lunch, he didn't show up. In the halls, I didn't catch a glimpse of him or Jared or Paul. The only person I saw was Jared's new girlfriend, Kim. I semi knew her, because you pretty much knew everyone around here since prekindergarten. I knew that she was absolutely shy and socially awkward so it made me feel a bit guilty that I had to interrogate her.

But hey, I had to do what I had to do.

"Kim!" I called, shoving through a couple of people. She seemed to freeze, glance beside her for a minute and keep walking, like she was imagining her name being called. "Kim, hey!"

This time, she heard and she spun around and caught eyes with me, and then immediately looked at the floor. "Um, hey."

"You know who I am right?" I asked, just in case.

She nodded. "You're Paul's sister."

I scrunched my nose, but didn't disagree before grabbing her hand and pulling her into a classroom that I knew was empty. "I need to talk to you." She visibly swallowed and her eyes went wide. "What did they do to him?" I whispered.

"I don't know w-what you mean." She whispered back. I knew Kim sometimes stuttered, because she hated talking to people, but this time I knew it was because she's a terrible liar.

I frowned at her. "Kim, come on. We're both girls here. It'll be like sharing secrets between friends."

She opened her mouth, like she wanted to correct me on the whole friend status, but then she closed it again. "I really don't-"

"Look, you can cut the crap okay? I know that you know, so you can just stop lying right now. You're terrible at it. Tell me what is going on. What has Sam done to my brother? What have they done to Embry?"

Her eyes lowered to the ground when she spoke. "It's not Sam." She whispered. "It would have happened to them no matter what. Sam is helping them. He's not a bad person. It can't be helped, and it can't be changed. I'm sorry. I have to go." And she turned and bolted out of the classroom, leaving me with more questions than answers.

* * *

It wasn't until Wednesday that things started to get crazy. After not seeing him on Tuesday, Jessica and I were more relaxed, even though we knew eventually he would be back. Unless he had dropped out of school, but that didn't seem likely because Jared and Paul had both come back.

When I jumped out of the car, I immediately noticed something out of place. Jared and Paul were back, loitering in the same place that they usually did before class. But there was someone with them, a third boy who looked more like a man with his rippling muscles straining against his black long sleeve. It was Embry.

I clenched my fists together and glanced at Jessica, who was looking anywhere but over there, but I knew she had seen him. "Go find Jake and Quil." I muttered. "I'll be right back."

"Lucy, don't." I think she said, but I was already walking. Jared noticed me first when I was halfway there and he elbowed Paul, who locked eyes with me and shook his head, telling me not to come over.

But I was Paul Lahote's sister, and I didn't listen to anyone. I ignored the two of them. "Embry, can we talk?"

"Leave him alone, Lucy." Paul muttered into my ear.

"What the hell happened to you!?" I cried. "What did _they_ do to you?" One of his arms trembled, and I stepped forward and put one of my hands on it. An electric shock ran through me and I jerked my hand away and his fist clenched. He was staring at the ground, eyes tight, silent as usual. But not his usual silence, the one that made you feel absolutely at ease. A silence that gave me chills, full of anger. "Why won't you look at me?" I whispered.

"Don't." He muttered in a hard voice, one that was detached and did not belong to him.

I grasped his arm again, this time with both of my hands. "Look at me." I begged. "Damn it, just look at me!"

My hands started rumbling, and I realized Embry was shaking and then Jared had ripped me away from him and was holding me behind his back. A harsh whisper from Paul and then Embry was gone, running into the trees opposite the school. I was frozen still, until Jared turned around and put his hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay, Lucy?" He asked.

Paul stepped forwards as well, hands reaching outwards but I tore myself away from both of them. "Don't." I said, stealing Embry's line and shaking my head. "Stay away from me and leave Jake and Quil alone." I warned.

Embry never came back to school. Or maybe he did, and he was just really crafty at hiding out because I never glimpsed him again. At lunch, the four of us sat quietly until Quil spoke. "I guess we're going to have to get used to this."

It was a sad, harsh truth.

I was still feeling a bit torn up from my earlier confrontation, so I went home with Quil, who was more than happy to have my company because Jake was ditching him once again to hang out with that chick from Forks.

"It's not fair." He muttered to me, while we munched on some chips from his grandfather's store in his living room. "I try so hard to get older girls to like me, and now Jake has one falling all over him."

"We both know that's not true." I laughed. "She friend zoned him immediately, remember?"

"Yeah but if they keep hanging out like this, and that ex-boyfriend of hers doesn't come back, who knows what will happen?"

"Well, Jake is a great guy." I said. "If that happens, even though someone's a little jealous, he deserves it."

He hit me with a pillow and I laughed, just as his grandfather slowly walked through the door, with Sam Uley behind him. I forced my face to arrange a polite smile, because I had absolutely no problem with sweet old Quil. "Hello, Lucille. I haven't seen you around in a while."

"It's great to see you too, sir." I forced out through my teeth, while Quil's arm had tightened around me. He knew how much I despised Sam.

"Are you staying for dinner as well? Sam and I here have some things we need to talk about over food, but you are more than welcome. There will be plenty."

I felt bad, rejecting his offer, but being in the same room as Sam for more than a minute put me on edge. "No, I'm sorry but my mother is expecting me. In fact, I'm late. I'm sorry to rush out on you all but I will take a rain check." I kissed his wrinkly cheek and nodded once to Sam, rushing to the door with Quil on my heels. "I'll see you at school." I promised, letting him wrap me up tightly in a hug.

It was chilly but luckily Quil and I didn't live too far apart. Not as close as Embry, but not as far away as Jessica and Jake. When I got home and threw my coat and shoes in the closet, my mother came rushing out to greet me with a grin so wide that it might break her face. "Oh Lucy, I'm so glad you came home for dinner. Guess what? We have a guest!"

Sitting in the kitchen, bouncing _my_ baby brother on his lap, was Paul. He caught my eye and smiled. "Hey, Lucy."

It was way too weird seeing him in my house, because he had moved out like six months ago. My teeth snapped together. "Get out of my house." I spat.

I heard my mom gasp beside me, and she hit my arm. "Lucille Marie Lahote! You do not speak to our guests like that, especially your brother!"

"Mom, it's okay." Paul said, passing Jordan to my older sister, who was standing against the railing of the stairs looking a mix between amused and sad. "Lucy, I know that it's been tough for you but I've been trying to apologize for weeks."

"Apology not accepted. Now get out." I snarled.

He kept walking towards me, palms stretched out like he was afraid I was going to jump him. "I know that I hurt you when I left and I know that I hurt you when I wouldn't talk to you, but I'm better now."

"Better, huh? Funny, you never looked _sick._"

"I'm trying to fix things between us, Luce. I want us to be friends again."

"You can't!" I screamed. "You can't fix _anything_! You left me! You left, just like Dad! You're just like him!"

His calm demeanour snapped, and he closed his eyes shut and his arms started trembling just like Embry's had earlier and before I could even blink, he was out the door and slamming it so hard that it splintered down the middle.

I burst into tears at the same time that Jordan did, his startled screams overpowering my soft muffles as I ran up the stairs and into my bedroom.

Everyone always leaves.


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: This chapter might seem sort of rushed, but I really really …. Well, you'll see.**

The next two weeks were weird as hell.

For one, other than the occasional missed day, Embry was always there. _Always._ He was in the halls, outside the school, in the cafeteria. I literally saw him everywhere I went. It was like I was purposely running into him.

He never talked to me though, or even looked at me. And he was never alone. Paul, Jared or both of them always flanked him. They had even managed to switch into our lunch period, much to my annoyance. Paul was always glaring at me and Embry would do anything he could to avoid looking at us.

Jessica was miserable, even though she was doing a damn good job of hiding it. Jacob was off in his own little world with his Belle Swank, or whatever her name was and Quil was not himself. Embry leaving us wasn't really a big thing, but it really affected all of our lives in some way.

"Paul's staring over here again." Quil muttered under his breath, and I snapped my head up to look across the room. Embry's head was ducked to the floor as usual, but both Paul and Jared were staring at our table. And they weren't glaring at me, they were looking at Jacob.

Jake scowled. "You should thank me, Lucy." He said to me. "They've taken to following me around instead. Isn't that lucky for you?"

"Maybe they have a crush on you." I giggled, trying to lighten the mood. Quil gagged and Jake visibly shuttered, and then he shoved my shoulder. "Ow, Jake. You didn't have to hit me so hard." I whined, rubbing where he made contact.

He frowned at his hand and then rolled up my sleeve. "Shit, I didn't realize." He breathed. "I didn't even think I was hitting you that hard."

I shrugged. "It's no big deal, Jake. It was an accident." I reassured, as the guy's eyes shifted up at something behind me.

I didn't bother turning. I knew exactly who it was. "Watch yourself around my sister, Black." Paul spit out.

"Give it a rest, oh mighty big brother."

"Lucy, I need to talk to you outside." He muttered.

I huffed. "If I go with you, will you stop staring at Jake? It's making him uncomfortable. Oh and me as well, because I don't appreciate you glaring at me, asshole."

He growled at me. "Fine, whatever. Outside, Lucille. Now." He grabbed my arm roughly like he has been lately and dragged me out the doors. I just barely caught Jared giving him a look that screamed out _be careful_. "I need you to stop hanging out with Jacob Black."

I looked at him like he had two heads. "No. Is that all you wanted to talk about? Okay, bye."

I turned to leave, but he grasped me again. "This is no joke, Lucille. He's dangerous to be around. Don't you see what he did to your arm?"

I scoffed. "That was an accident, you're overreacting. And how exactly is he dangerous?"

"I can't tell you, but you'll just have to trust me."

Trust him? Yeah, right. "After what you did to Embry? No thanks, Paul."

"I didn't do anything to Embry!" He growled.

"Bullshit!" I cried right back. Paul wasn't the only one in our family that had a temper. It was definitely a Lahote thing. "You have no explanation for me, Paul. But you _know_ why he's like that. So that just proves to me that you did something to him!"

His hands grasped my shoulders. "I want to tell you, but I can't okay? I don't want to see you get hurt. Stay away from Jacob."

"No Paul, _you_ stay away from Jacob. I told you once and I'll tell you again. Leave me and my friends alone!"

I did what I was famous for and stormed away from my once upon a time brother. I could still hear him shouting my name when I slammed the cafeteria doors. My warning to Jacob was, "Watch out for _them._" I locked eyes with Jared after I said it, and we both narrowed eyes at each other.

I was too late.

By the end of the week, Jacob had contracted mono. Or at least, that was the rumor. But I knew better, Jessica knew better and Quil knew better. _They _knew better. Because as much as I wanted to pretend that I hadn't seen not four, but five large muscled men walking out of Embry's house that weekend and as much as I wanted to pretend that I hadn't seen Sam Uley and Jake walking around all buddy buddy, I couldn't.

They got him too.

He didn't miss as much school as Embry, only the Monday and Tuesday after the weekend and he was back. He had miraculously recovered from his mono that he had contracted.

The minute I walked into school that morning, I spotted him and Embry laughing and talking like they had never been apart. But when they heard me, Embry infamously looked at the ground and Jake… Jake looked up and looked at me. But not in my eyes. He looked at my chin.

He looked at my damn chin!

My furious eyes caught Paul from down the hall and I stormed towards him. He met me halfway, looking like he had been searching for me too. His mouth opened, but my words came out first. "I told you to stay away." I said in a hard voice.

"Lucy I didn't do this to him, I swear!"

"I hate you." I spat. "I hate you even more than I already did."

"Lucy, please…" He whispered.

His friend grasped his shoulder and tugged him away. "It's not worth it, she'll never understand. Let her go."

"Yeah just let me go, Paul!" I called after him. "Leave, just like everyone else! Just like you did before! You don't care about me!"

He was shaking from head to toe and Jared glared at me. "Fuck off, Lucy. You've done enough." He spat.

I was momentarily shocked still by the cold words that came out of his mouth directed towards me and I stared after their retreating forms dumbly. A feeling of guilt washed over me as I remembered Paul's face when I said I hated him, but I didn't let it get any further. He deserved it, he walked away from me first.

So it was us three at lunch today. Just Quil, Jess and I.

And then not too long after that, it was just Jessica and I. I watched from narrowed eyes as the five of them sat at their table, eating monstrous amounts of food and laughing and joking with each other. The feeling of betrayal, abandonment and jealousy in my stomach became too much to handle and I had to leave the cafeteria.

I watched them for a week like a loser from afar as they became more distant from us and closer to each other. Every time one of them passed me in the hall, I had to resist the urge to spit at them.

Not a single one of my so called friends would look me in the eyes.

"I've had enough." I muttered to myself on Friday night. I was sitting up in my room curled up by the window, basically stalking Embry as I watched him walking home half naked. He didn't even look the slightest bit cold, and it was just really hitting the beginning of March. It was still freezing. "There is something wrong with that kid. With all of them."

I needed to investigate. I ran downstairs and threw on my shoes, not bothering with a coat. Maybe the fact that I didn't have one would make Ms. Call more apt to inviting me inside. I was going to make Embry talk to me if it was the last thing I did.

"Going to Embry's!" I called out to my mother, who was somewhere in the house, and shut the door behind me. The wind nipped at my bare skin and I shivered, speeding up my walking. With my heart pounding, I hesitated at the door for a moment before I knocked three times sharply. Thankfully, it was his mom who answered. Good, I don't think she would refuse me entry.

To my surprise, she looked relieved. "Oh Lucy, it's so nice to see a normal, familiar face!" She crooned. "You look like you're half frozen to death! Come inside quickly and warm up."

I followed behind her gratefully. "Thanks Tiffany. Is Embry here?" I asked out of politeness, even though I already knew.

She smiled slightly. "Up in his room, for once. That boy is never home anymore. Always gallivanting off with Sam Uley and his…" She paused and scrunched up her nose delicately. "Friends."

I grimaced with her. "Yeah, I know."

"And I still cannot believe he broke up with Jessica! I mean, they were together for five years!" I nodded along with her and she got quiet for a moment. "He's different now, Lucy. I don't know why but I don't like it. Maybe you could talk to him and find out what's going on. Bring him back a little bit."

I sighed and gave her a hopeless look. "It hasn't done me much good this past couple of months but I can try again. I haven't really had any alone time with him. I'll just go up." She nodded and gently pushed me towards the stairs. The door was partly open, but I knocked anyway. "Embry?"

No answer. I peered around and saw him lying on his bed, face in his pillows. I knocked louder, knowing that he wasn't asleep. "You can keep knocking, but I'm not answering." His voice finally mumbled up from under the pillows.

"I'm pretty sure that counts as answering." I replied cheekily, stepping into the room and closing the door behind me. "I wanted to talk to you."

He heaved a sigh and started to sit up. "Let's not start, Lucy."

Bravely, I sat on the end of his bed. He was still facing the other way, but I spoke anyway. Being here, alone with one of my old friends for the first time and really being able to say what I wanted was overwhelming, and I choked on my thoughts for a minute. "I miss you." Is what I finally said.

He wasn't looking at me, which made me really angry, but I didn't come here to yell at him so I swallowed the feeling. "Luce…" He mumbled my old nickname. "We barely even talked."

"It didn't matter to me that you didn't talk. We were still friends."

He sighed. "You're wasting your time here, nothing is going to change."

"Why don't you look at me anymore?" I whispered, lowering my voice so that it kept the mood of desperation. "You always look at the floor. Why?"

His big shoulders shrugged. "There's just no point."

"There is." I murmured. "We're still friends, Embry."

"No, we aren't." He disagreed.

I sighed. "Yes, we are. To me." I countered, gently grabbing his chin in my hand. "Look at me, please." I coaxed desperately. It had been too long since any of them had. "Just look at me." I tugged his face towards me and he turned willingly. And for the first time in months, his eyes met mine.

My stomach lurched forwards and my hand fell back to my lap.

He was gaping like a fish, a weird strangling noise coming out of his mouth. The feeling in my stomach intensified and as much as I wanted to tear my eyes away, I couldn't.

After a minute, he still looked like he was choking. I finally looked away and down at the ground, trying to explain to myself what just happened.

I couldn't come up with anything.

But I hated that _look_ that his eyes gave me. It was too intense. It felt too much like the way he used to look at Jessica. I stood up quick, wishing deeply that I had never come. "I have to go." I muttered, nearly running for the door.

But he was there first, blocking it with his arms widespread. "Don't go." He murmured. He was looking at me like that again. I tried to find a way around him, but his body was blocking the door too well so I rocked back on my heels, defeated. "Lucy."

That's all he said. My name, saturated in warmth, adoration and awe with a giant ribbon of affection tied around it. My heart did a flip. "I don't know what's going on."

"Did you feel that too?" He asked me in a low, husky voice.

I know exactly what he meant. That electric shock through my spine every time he made eye contact with me. There were goose bumps running up my arms. I tried to get a hold of myself, tried to control the trembling of my lips as he got closer to me.

His hands cupped my face. _Oh my God, Embry is going to kiss me!_ I knew it was a bad idea. My brain was screaming at me, but I was so lost and I let my eyes close and my head tilt upwards.

But nothing happened.

Well, involving the kiss. At that exact moment, the door flew open and startled me to the point that I jumped almost three feet away from Embry in shock. His eyes narrowed into slits at the intruder. Jacob.

He spoke. "We need you Embry. West side of the-"And then he cut off, noticing me standing meekly across the room and shot Embry a look. "Why is she here?" He asked and I scoffed to myself. How rude.

"It happened." Embry said.

He didn't even elaborate. _What_ happened!? We didn't even do anything. But Jake seem to understand. "Wow, man. Congratulations." He said and then he shot me a look.

"What?" I asked. "What happened?"

Jake's face broke out in a smile and he came forward and wrapped me up in a hug. I didn't care that I was completely in the dark and that I was completely confused because being in Jake's arms was like being home again. My lower lip trembled, I missed them so much. "Good to have you back, Lucy."

"Back?" I mumbled, muffled into Jake's chest.

Embry let out an inhumane growl and tore Jake back by the arm. "That was long enough."

Jake's hands went up in the air, palms forward. "Sorry man, my bad." His arms went limp and they both relaxed. "But we really do need you. Something came up."

Embry shot me a pained look. My brows scrunched together. "I have to go, Lucy." He looked mildly horrified by the fact.

"Um… Okay?" I asked. "I guess I'll see you guys around?"

"Let me walk you home."

_What?_ "Um, I'm good. I just, you know, live two doors down in case you forgot."

"It's not safe for you to walk by yourself." He murmured, stepping towards me and brushing a piece of hair off of my face.

I stepped out of his reach and his face fell. "I think I'll be just fine. I really should go." I mumbled, backing towards the door. "See you Jake." I ran out of there as fast as I could and shut the door to my house behind me immediately.

Tiffany was right, Embry had just gotten stranger.

**A/N: And that was why it seemed so rushed. We all know that Jake/Quil were going to go next, and I really wanted to get to the imprinting! Embry's back! And i'm hoping the next chapter will be longer, and it will definitely be interesting.**


	5. Chapter Four

I have to admit that I was nervous.

I had no idea to expect. I mean, first Embry wants nothing to do with me and then he tries to kiss me. So after thoroughly avoiding him all weekend, even when he came knocking at my door, which I have to admit freaked me the fuck out, I couldn't avoid going to school on Monday.

Which meant that I was bound to run into him.

Running late, I didn't even have time to dry my hair or catch a ride with Dan because he had already taken off, so I pulled my wet hair up into a tight bun and half ran out the door with one shoe on. In my rush, I tripped over something and went flying, sprawling across the pavement of my walkway.

"Ow…" I groaned, struggling to sit up and wiping my cut hand on my jeans.

Someone was standing over me. "Shit, I'm sorry." They mumbled. "I thought you would have seen me. Let me help you up."

It was Embry. "What are you doing here?" I asked, swatting away his hand. "And I don't need your help. I'm fine."

"You're bleeding."

I glanced down at my hands. "No I'm not. They're just scraped up and a little dirty but no blood."

His hands grasped at the bottoms of my track pants. "You're bleeding. I can smell it."

I raised an eyebrow. "You cannot _smell_ it." I accused. But sure enough, there was blood trailing down my leg from a cut in my knee. I pursed my lips, but said nothing except a little gasp when he wiped it away with the sleeve of his shirt. "That stings." I hissed.

"You should let me clean it so it doesn't get infected."

I stumble onto my feet. "Um, how about no? And why are you even sitting on my porch anyway? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I was waiting for you so we could walk together but then you didn't come out so I got worried. I knocked, but no one answered. I think your mom is still asleep." He scratched the back of his neck. "We should go, we're already late." He turned and started walking, but I stayed put on my porch, just staring after him. What the hell is his game? "Aren't you coming?" He called without turning around.

I didn't want to go anywhere with him, but I had to go to school, so I grudgingly started moving, slow enough so that he stayed in front of me.

Gradually, he started slowing down and his strides started to match mine. I huffed. "What is your deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." I accused, jerking my arm away when he brushed up against me. "You're creeping me out. Why are you all of a sudden so interested in me?"

His lips quirked upwards. "I've always been interested in you. We're friends, aren't we?"

"We _were_ friends." I emphasized. "And then you disappeared, started hanging out with _my brother_ and then dumped my best friend." He flinched, as if he had forgotten about her. "Yeah, exactly. So I think it's a little bit of a betrayal if I start talking to you again."

"Are you really going to let her affect the way you feel about me?" He whispered.

We were at the school now. "I don't feel anything for you. So stop bugging me. We aren't friends anymore, Embry. I'm sorry that I even tried to get you back. It was a mistake."

"Lucy, just hear me out."

I turned to look at him again. "No, I'm not going to hear you out. You're a little bit too late for any excuses, even if you have one. I already told you, we are not friends." I emphasized the spaces between my last few words.

He reached out and touched my cheek and I shivered. "I don't want to be your friend anymore Lucy." He stepped closer to me and I could feel his breath on my face. "I can't just be your _friend_."

His lips were almost brushing mine. "Don't…" I protested, but it was weak, barely a whisper. And then, all of a sudden, my lips were pressing against his and I felt absolutely dizzy. They were unbelievably soft, softer than I could have imagined and his hand was hot against my cheek.

I easily let his mouth open mine, and I couldn't feel my legs anymore so I grasped onto his t-shirt with my hands for support and let his tongue touch mine. Oh my God, I was kissing Embry. How many times had I dreamt about this moment? I was kissing Embry.

_I was kissing Embry._

I pushed away from him. "Get off of me!" I cried, pushing his freakishly large arms away from me and scooting backwards. My head was spinning.

"Let me walk you to class." He said, as if nothing had just happened. He grasped my hand and I jerked away angrily.

I could feel people staring. "No." My teeth came down together.

"Lucy, I know you don't understand but I just have to be near you right now. It physically kills me to be away from you. Just let me…" He trailed off and stretched a hand towards me.

Something nagged me inside of stomach, but I remembered my best friend Jessica, and I narrowed my eyes. I felt my cheeks heat up. "Stop being so damn creepy and buzz off, Embry." I snapped, finally storming away. Without looking back, I charged into my classroom, knowing that I was late but not really caring. Thankfully, the teacher just gave me a "look" and let it be. I sat down in my seat in relief and sighed. Someone next to me cleared their throat. I didn't think anything of it, until I realized that no one had sat next to me in that seat since…

I froze and slowly turned my head to the right. "Well hello there, Luce!" They said cheerfully and I met Quil's mischievous grin with pursed lips.

"Why are you sitting here?" I asked warily.

His arm snaked around me to rest across the back of my chair and I could feel the warmth of his skin across the back of my neck. Suspicion made me raise my eyebrows. "What? Am I not allowed to sit with my dearest friend Lucille?"

"Oh you can, but I didn't know you had a friend named Lucille."

His face fell at my snarky jab. "Still mad, huh?"

"Gee, you must have gotten smarter."

"Okay, I get that you're mad. But you can't tell me that you haven't missed this face." He pouted.

I fought against a smile, my automatic response whenever Quil did something stupid. "I haven't missed you at all." I muttered under my breath. But it didn't even fool me.

"Come on, Lucy. Sit with us at lunch, just like old times."

"I'll pass." I whispered harshly as the teacher turned to glare at us.

He folded his arms. "Mr. Ateara and Miss Lahote, I guess it was foolish of me to think that the rest of this year would be peaceful and quiet without the two of you sitting next to each other, wasn't it? Now please be quiet or I will be forced to separate you again."

Quil snorted under his breath and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing along with him. _We aren't friends anymore,_ I reminded myself internally. And that's what I kept thinking every time I bumped into one of them in the hallway, or when Jacob stalked me out at lunch so that I would sit with them. Decline politely and move on, that was my motto and by the end of the day I was annoyed and exhausted.

Jessica walked beside me with her face pinched into a sour mask. I sighed, feeling her resentment radiating off of her in waves. "See you tomorrow." She muttered and turned without a second glance. I watched her back as she walked away for a minute, sighed and then turned back around and slammed right into a brick wall.

"Jeez!" I exclaimed, swatting Embry's chest. "Stop doing that."

He pried my hands gently off of his chest and ran his thumb over my fingers. "I'm sorry." He murmured. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to walk you home."

_Decline politely and move on, decline politely and move on._

"I have work." I muttered. Come on politeness, where are you? "But thanks." And I walked away without another word.

Okay, I'm definitely going to have to work on the polite part.

* * *

The diner I worked at was small, and I had only landed the job because my mother was good friends with the owner, Sue Clearwater. She and her husband, as well as her two children, were the main workers but my mother, with all of her charm, convinced them to hire me last year. I liked it there well enough, but I had a better shift when I was working with Sue and Seth rather than Harry, or their daughter Leah.

Leah had always been a pain in the ass since I worked there, but Harry and I used to get along just great, up until a little while ago. Now, I always feel as though he's watching me with a look that almost seems like resentment.

To my absolute delight, I was working with the ever lovely Leah. It was just us and one of the cooks in the back, because school nights were never usually busy. I gave her my forced co-worker smile and she scowled at me, threw a notebook at my head and went on with her business. She stuck to her section and I stuck to mine and we stayed like that until we died down around seven as usual.

I didn't get off until ten, so I was sitting at one of the empty tables doing my homework when the door opened around eight. Leah, who was texting behind the counter, looked up at me in almost unison of surprise. Then, her face pinched up and she retreated towards the back room after giving me a pointed look and muttering "I'm not dealing with this. I don't get paid enough."

I rolled my eyes at her melodramatic tendencies and turned to face my customers, becoming eye to chest with Sam Uley, which meant I knew exactly who his guests were. It took all my energy to keep my smile plastered on my face and I made my way over to where he led me, fighting the urge to shout "we're closed," and running into the back room. Instead, I said, "Can I get you guys something to drink?"

Four pairs of eyes shot down to the badly made paper menus on the table, but two pairs kept steady tabs on me. I tapped my foot anxiously, willing them to look away. "I'll just get water," said the voice that automatically sent chills down my spine. I shut my eyes and took a quick breath and then look at the rest of them expectantly.

Voices shouted at me all at once.

"Coke!" "Coffee!" "Milkshake!"

Not wanting to ask anyone to repeat themselves and risk having to stay at the table any longer, I jotted it all down as quickly as I could and made my way behind the counter and started making them immediately, refusing to turn my back. I felt his presence before I heard him. "Hey." He said softly.

"Hi." I said back, just as quiet but not as soft.

He gestured towards what I was doing with his hands. "Do you need any help with that? I see Leah left you stranded."

"Sorry, no unauthorized personal behind the counter." I said mechanically. He frowned, but it didn't last long and he took a seat on the stool behind the counter. I could feel his eyes watching me and as uncomfortable as it was, I just kept on working. "Don't you think you should get back to your friends?"

"Nah, they won't miss me. Besides, I'd rather talk to you."

"Oh joy." I muttered under my breath. Piling the drinks onto one of our trays, I made my way around. "I have to take these over there anyway."

He immediately stood up. "Let me carry them. They look heavy."

"No, I know what I'm doing. This is my job." I snapped, trying to side step him but losing my balance and sending the tray tumbling forwards. I clenched my eyes, waiting for impact but nothing happened. Peeling my eyes back, I watched Embry pile everything back onto the tray from various positions on his body. Involuntarily, I gasped in amazement. "How did you _do_ that?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I'm talented I guess." He placed the drinks on the table, handed me the tray and took his seat. After they ordered an amazing amount of food, I finally got to leave the table. But that didn't stop him from glancing over at me every ten seconds. Annoyed, I finally stopped avoiding his gaze and gave him a small smile and watched as his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

The happy feeling that spread through my stomach was unwelcome. Why did he suddenly affect me like this?

When the food was ready, I walked it over to their table and set it down. "Join us?" Embry asked, nodding to the empty seat next to him. I didn't miss the eye roll that Paul made and I gave him the nastiest Lahote glare that I could muster.

"I'll pass. Let me know when you want the bill." I said, turning up my nose and turning on my heel. Could they just get lost already? I was so not in the mood for this. Storming into the back room where Leah was sitting at the break table, I shot her a dirty look. "Thanks for that."

She shrugged. "Didn't really feel like serving the boyfriend that abandoned me."

"Like I _really_ wanted to serve the brother that abandoned _me_." I shot back, even though that wasn't really what I was worried about. Leah and I always butt heads. I wonder why my mom had the bright idea to get us working together.

After a few moments of awkward silence, there was a knock on the door. Leah, obviously not budging, just looked away and I sighed and stepped out to face my nuisance. "We're um, ready for the bill." Embry said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, Leah," he threw in over my head.

"Fuck you." She spat, like the lady she was and I shut the door in embarrassment.

"Don't mind her." I muttered, unconsciously feeling the need to apologize for her behaviour. Embry followed me to the counter and I printed off the bill. "Do you need the machine?"

I prayed that he didn't, because that thing was a piece of crap. "No, we'll pay in cash." He said.

"Just leave it on the table and have a good night."

His hand caught my arm. "I really think we should talk about what happened earlier before I go."

"There's nothing to talk about. You kissed me, whatever. It's over and it won't happen again and that's it."

The disappointment coloring his face was almost too much to handle. "That's not what I hoped you would say."

I shrugged. "I have nothing else to say." I said shortly. "You can go now."

"Have a good night." He said quietly.

I grabbed his arm. "Wait, I'm sorry." I said before I could even realize. "I'm just so confused about what's going on. I don't understand what this is, what's happened between us."

He took my face in his hands and I trembled under both the anticipation and dread that he was going to kiss me again. But, he spoke quietly. "I'm sorry that we hurt you. I wish I could take everything back and I wish that I never left your side." His lips touched my forehead and my eyes closed by themselves and didn't open until I heard the bell above the door jingle and the warmth of his presence disappear.

I knocked on the break room door, still a little woozy. "The big scary monsters are gone Leah, you can come out now."

"Fuck you!" Was the response that I received.

Always the charmer.


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: Sorry that the last one seemed kind of rushed guys! I literally wrote it right before work and I wanted to post it before I left which is why there's no explanation or anything on it. And really my excuses are sad, life got in the way of course! Work, school, homework, family, you know how it is. But I'm going to try and come back.**

I couldn't tell if things were coming together or falling apart over this last week.

Jessica would barely talk to me anymore. We sat together at lunch in awkward, angry silence until the bell rang and she bolted up without a word. She never told me the reason, but I didn't have to ask because I already knew.

It had something to do with the boy sitting next to me on my couch. "So what is this show even about anyway?" Embry asked me.

"It's about two brothers who are skilled at hunting down supernatural creatures, and they're trying to find and kill the demon that killed their mother." I said quickly. "Now hush, you're interrupting."

He rolled his eyes but smirked anyways and stretched his arm over the back of the couch almost naturally. I stiffened automatically but just slightly, and his armed snaked away. "Sorry." He said, unapologetically. "Boundaries, I forgot."

"Sure you did." I said sarcastically. But I elbowed him playfully and all was forgiven.

Sorry, are you confused? I got ahead of myself. Let me back it up to the day after my encounter with Embry at the diner.

* * *

"I need a ride to school or I'm going to be late!" I yelled down the stairs, trying to yank up my jeans and brush my hair at the same time. "Hello!? Anyone hear me?"

A brief silence followed and finally my step-dad answered with, "five minutes and I'm leaving without you!"

Five minutes. I could do five minutes. I would be an ugly creature at the end of those five minutes, but I could be ready in five minutes. One navy blue pullover, two boots and one quick brush of my teeth later, I was sitting in the passenger seat of Dan's car.

Whenever I rode with him, I was never more thankful that La Push was so small. A few minutes of idle chit chat and I was out of the car before you could say boo. But I was still late. I would have been on time to class if I didn't decide to speed walk to the back entrance, which was on the other side of the school from where I was supposed to be, because I spotted Embry and Jake talking out front of the main doors.

Call it a hunch, but I had a feeling Embry was waiting for me.

My avoidance tactics worked well, until I let my guard down after gym and he caught me by the upper arm. "You've been avoiding me." He said lowly.

"I wouldn't call it avoiding. I would call it manoeuvring myself so that I don't run into you." I said. "But I obviously failed, because you caught me."

"I thought we were past this."

I shrugged. "I don't remember saying any such thing. Just because I talked to you at the diner last night, doesn't mean I want to be your friend. It's in the job description."

"Oh really? And is letting me kiss you also in that description?"

My cheeks flushed red and I narrowed my eyes. "I didn't let you kiss me. And it was on the forehead, so your point is moot."

"Do you really believe that?" His voice had a teasing edge, but I really wasn't in the mood to be teased. I was tired of him following me around.

Red stained my vision for a second. "God, just leave me alone!" I snapped. His eyes filled with hurt, and my vision cleared. "Embry, I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me…"

"Just save it." He murmured. "I get it, you don't want me around. Stop snapping at me and apologizing and stop giving me mixed signals. I'll stop bothering you."

My stomach felt heavy as I watched him walk away. Isn't that what I wanted, for him to leave me alone? So why did I feel so sick?

He was out of my sight before I could call him back.

After school was bitter sweet for me. Jessica was mad at me, because she had noticed the attention that Embry had been giving me and she didn't understand. I didn't either, of course, but there was no telling her that. I didn't have work, so that freed up my time but I knew if I went home with no plans, my mom would force me to babysit and I didn't feel like changing diapers or dealing with a teething baby while I was in this foul of a mood.

So I went for a walk to clear my head.

There was a path that I knew as well as the back of my own hand, because the guys, Jess and I used to hike it every Sunday. It was a bit rough, but it was beautiful and it was the perfect place to clear my mind and just be by myself.

I was about fifteen minutes into my walk when I heard howls, and remembered what my older sister had mentioned to me the other day.

"_You know, there's been more sightings of those animals that murdered those townies back last month. They claim that they're bears, but a friend of mine saw them and said they were way too big to be bears. So watch out, next time you make me late for school, I'm going to cover you in deer meat and throw you into the woods to get eaten."_

I shivered and tried to turn back, when I tripped over a root and fell on my ankle.

"Holy mother of fuck!" I cried out, clutching my foot. It was already starting to swell, I had twisted it. "Shit, what do I do now?" I checked my cellphone, no signal. "Great."

A chill came over me and then I heard a voice. "I've never heard a young lady swear like that before." The voice said, in a cool voice that sounded melting butter. I glanced up from where I was sitting to find one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen, with olive tinted skin and black dreads, standing over me. "You seem to have had an accident. Good thing I was hunting in the area and found you."

I blinked. "Hunting animals? Here? Isn't that illegal?"

He grinned. "I don't hunt animals, my dear. I hunt people. Which I've heard is even more illegal."

I stared up at his face, dumbfounded, trying to comprehend what he just said. "Are you going to kill me?" I whispered.

He kneeled down to my level and put his hands on my face. I shivered and flinched, because they felt like ice cubes and then I got lost in his bright red eyes. They were like nothing I had ever seen before, absolutely captivating and terrifying. My imminent death was closing in, and all I could do was open my mouth with a gasp and whisper, "_what_ are you?"

"I'm a vampire, sweetheart. And you smell lovely."

"Thank you." I murmured involuntarily. I felt lost in his gaze.

"You're a very polite little lady," he commented with fascination. "And very cooperative, so I will make this fast. Does that appeal to you?" I nodded dumbly. "Wonderful. Thank you for being so kind. I'm _starving_." As his mouth started toclose in on my neck, I remained completely still.

An angry voice snapped me out of my trance. "Get. Away. From. Her." It growled and my face was released from the man's iron grip. My eyes widened at my saviour. Paul was trembling from head to toe, jaw clenched and snarling. "I will rip your throat out, bloodsucker."

The man rose with grace, and he had the smallest of smiles on his face. "Try it, _mutt_." He taunted, and took off flying.

And faster than I ever thought possible of a person, my brother started vibrating in waves and all of a sudden, he wasn't my brother anymore. He was a four legged, grey haired, long toothed, snarling beast. He crouched on his hind legs and took off running and all of a sudden, five other creatures came shooting out from behind me, following his lead. The last one skidded to a halt next to me, clutching my ankle, stared at me with its big eyes and then took off.

I stared after them stupidly.

Not bears, wolves. At least, I think they were wolves. And one of them was my brother.

And then I remembered the eyes of the wolf I just saw. _Embry_.

It didn't take long for me to black out.

I was never one to handle stress very well. The night before my first day of high school, even though I knew basically everyone, I spiked a fever of over 102 and threw up all night because Veronica told me that I was going to get hazed.

When my dad left me, I developed seizures. And then they mysteriously disappeared after I learned to accept that he was gone.

When Paul left, I started having blackouts and lost instances of time.

And now, after finding out that my brother can change into a massive wolf, I fainted.

* * *

Waking up completely alone in a strange house isn't really my favourite thing in the world. When I opened my eyes and realized I had no idea where I was, I shot straight up in a panic. "Holy shit, I was kidnapped. Oh no, my family is going to be so worried. Shit, I'm going to die!"

"You're not going to die, Luce. Don't be so melodramatic."

My face pinched up. "Paul, shut up."

"Lucy, make me."

"Ugh, you're so annoying!" I complained, slumping back against the couch. And then I remembered what had just happened. Jumping onto my feet, I swung around until I spotted him, sitting at the kitchen table with a young woman who I recognized, but couldn't find a name in my head. "You just turned into a giant wolf." I accused, pointing at my brother.

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, about that…"

"About that!? That's all you can say? How long have you been able to do that?"

"About a year?" He asked rhetorically.

My eyes bugged out of my head. "A year? And you never told me? What the hell!"

He rolled his eyes like I was stupid. "It's not like you would have believed me anyway, Lucy. And besides, you have a big mouth."

"And there goes the pot calling the kettle black." I muttered.

I could see his arm start to twitch against the table, until the woman across from him smacked him with a spoon. "Paul, control yourself!" She chided. "I don't need another broken table."

"Sorry, Emily." He muttered.

My eyebrows raised in recognition. Of course I knew who she was now that she was facing me with a warm smile on her face… Well, half of her face. She was Emily Young, fiancée to Sam Uley and the woman who got attacked by a bear a couple years ago.

Wait a second…

"Oh no…" I murmured, forgetting all about my verbal filter and my people skills, and walking right up to her and touching her scarred face. "You poor, beautiful girl."

And then I realized what I was doing and I stepped back in shock and embarrassment. To my surprise, she laughed a little. "Even without the looks, I would know you're related to Paul. There's no mistaking that temper and that bluntness. I'm Emily, it's nice to formally meet you Lucy. I've heard a lot about you from not just Paul, but Embry, Quil and Jake too. Especially Embry."

I shook her hand, noticing that the scars appeared from under her sleeve but smartly deciding to not say anything and then dropped it as quick as I could. "Speaking of the guys, where are they?"

"They went after the leech with the dreads. They should be back soon enough." Paul answered

"Present!" Quil shouted, appearing at the screen door. "Hey Lucy, heard you blacked out. Obviously you don't handle surprises very well."

I rolled my eyes at his stupidity. "Well gee Quil, I'm sorry that I didn't take very well to my brother turning into a giant wolf right in front of my eyes after almost getting eaten by a vampire. Next time, I'll try to react better."

"There won't be a next time." Another voice, deeper and more solemn muttered. "I'll never let it anywhere near you again." I came face to face with a haggard looking Embry, wearing nothing but basketball shorts and twigs in his hair.

"Did you catch him?" Emily asked eagerly, rushing up next to Sam's side.

"No." He said.

"But that doesn't matter." Embry said, interrupting. "I'm not going to rest until I rip that bastard's throat out."

Sam placed a strong hand on Embry's shoulder and I could now see that he was still trembling. "Embry, you need to relax. Lucy's safe, she's right here. He didn't hurt her."

Embry shut his eyes and his whole body vibrated once. "He touched her." He said in a voice that was almost a whisper in the wind. "I can still smell him all over her."

And then he crossed the room in three big strides and completely wrapped me up in his embrace. "Embry…" I muttered into his chest. "I'm okay. I'm right here, I'm fine."

"I'm never letting you go." He growled.

"I'm not sure if you're serious or not…" My voice was muffled. "But I can't breathe."

Reluctantly, he released me. And he did gave me a once over, almost as if he was checking that all my body parts were there. "Your ankle is swollen. You shouldn't be standing on it." He said. In all of this drama, I had forgotten about my ankle and the reminder sent pain shooting up my foot. Immediately, I was swept up and place back on the sofa. He sat down next to me hesitantly. "Are you okay?" He asked.

I took a deep breath. "I think we need to talk."

After shooting everyone some pretty nasty looks, the room was cleared out almost immediately, with the exception of Paul, who had to be dragged out of the room by Sam, grumbling and snarling the entire time.

"I'm sure you have a lot to ask me…" He said awkwardly.

"I'm going to start off with my favourite question of the day. What _are_ you?"

"I'm a werewolf. Well, more like a shape shifter, because I can turn anytime. It doesn't have to be a full moon and it doesn't have to be at night. I'm not threatened by silver bullets of any kind, so don't even think about shooting me because I won't die and I won't be very happy." He was teasing me, and despite myself, I smiled. "It's nice to see you smile."

I laughed. "Well, I think I might be going insane. I just found out my friends are shape shifters, and I'm smiling."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "So, we're friends now?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, you caught me. I don't know why you're surprised. You've been bugging me for weeks now. It's hard not to give into you when you're that annoying."

"You think that I'm annoying now? Wait until you see me now that you've agreed to be my friend."

"Oh, brother."


End file.
